Kaileoad-chair



UNITED STATES PATEN T ()FFICE.

J. H. SIMMONS, OF PAINTED POST, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,986, dated November 2, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. SIMMONS, of the village of Painted Post, in the count-y of Steuben and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Railway or Railroad Chairs; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and ex act description of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 a transverse section, Fig. 3 a longitudinal elevation.

The nature and advantages of my invention consist in bringing and keeping the pressure or labor of the rails upon and near the center of the chair, thereby allowing the natural and inevitable spring or depression of the rails under the weight of passing trains, without rocking or tilting the chair upon the tie, and at the same time holding the rails more firmly and securely in their places, and keeping the ends of the rails more even and level at the jointand thus obviating to a very great extent if not entirely, the danger and expense arising from the working or tilting of the chair, cutting or wearing into the tie, bruising and wearing the ends 01 the rails, breaking the flanges of the rails, loosening and drawing the spikes, breaking the chair and the rolling and settling of the joint-tie and obtaining more strength and greater durability without increase of weight in metal.

To enable others skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

My chair can be constructed of any material used for that purpose, and of any required sizecast iron being the material commonly used-and of a form to fit the rails for which it is intended.

In the center of the chair upon the rail floor is an elevation (O, C Figs. 1, 2, 3) about one fourth of an inch in height, as wide as the width of the rails to be used, and about three inches in length. From each end of this elevation, which is the bearing for the rails, the floor of the chair is gradually sloped or beveled to each end of the chair (H, H, Fig. 1, I do not however confine myself entirely to the above mentioned measures, adding or subtracting to suit the condition of the rails to be used. Thus the rails, having their bearings on and near the center of the floor, and the base of the chair level upon the tie, do not rest upon the edges of the chair (H, H Figs. 1, 3,) when sprung by the great weight of passing trainsthe top of the rails at the joint is kept even, preventing the bruising and breaking the ends or" the rails, and the rocking of the chair upon the tie.

I make a slight depression in the rail floor on each side of the longitudinal center (E, E, Figs. 1, 2, 8) to guard against the danger of the breaking of the flanges of the rails at the ends, but this is not always necessary.

I make the outside grip or lip (J Figs. 1, 2, 3,) to fit close to the web or neck of the rails, with a slight projection on the underside of the lip and in the center about two inches long. (V, Fig. 2, This lip is made strong to support the outward pres sure upon the rails. The inside lip (S, Figs. 1, 2,) is not made as thick or wide as the outside lip (J), but with a corresponding projection on the underside (V, Fig. 2.) It does not reach to the web of the rails, and is of suificient strength to support the inside pressure upon the rails. The projections upon the lips (V, V,) are intended to fit snugly upon the top of the flange of the rails, and hold the ends of the rails firmly and securely to their places.

I make in the chair the required number of holes for spikes. The lips may be made as long as the chair, or of different lengths, as shown in the annexed drawings. The general shape and outlines of the chair may be in almost any of the forms now in common use.

hat I claim as my invention and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

The construction of a chair raised in the center for the ends of the rails to rest on, as shown at C, C, and sloping from near the center toward each end of the chair, leaving a space between the rails and the chair over the sloped portion to accommodate the spring of the rails, together with projections V, V, as described.

JAMES H. SIMMONS.

Witnesses FRANCIS ERWIN, NELSON CARPENTER. 

